Kurdistan

Monitor: Turkish forces target countryside of Tal Abyad

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Monday said that after 72 hours of a stop in cross-border attacks, Turkish forces targeted the countryside of Tal Abyad.

SOHR reported that gunfire was observed in the border area by the Turkish forces in the Sosak village in the western countryside of Tal Abyad city.

The gunfire caused material damage, but there was no information about casualties.

Kurdish news agency Hawar News said the village’s primary school was closed because of the direct targeting of the village.

The general command of the SDF announced on Wednesday a temporary halt to an offensive against the Islamic State (IS) after Turkish attacks targeted the SDF-affiliated forces’ positions near Kobani, Tirbespî‎ (Al-Qahtaniyah), Manbij, and Tal Abyad since Oct. 30 ahead of the start of joint US-Turkish patrols two days later.

According to the SOHR, at least five were killed in the Turkish cross-border attacks, including one young girl near Tal Abyad.

Since Friday afternoon, there have been no further Turkish attacks, and one US patrol visited the area near Tal Abyad. On Sunday, a second patrol visited the area between Darbasiyah and Serêkaniyê (Ras al-Ayn).

“The US forces patrols on the border with Turkey is an important step that will de-escalate the tension and stop the Turkish violations,” Amjad Othman, the spokesperson of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), told Kurdistan 24.

“We look, however, for permanent solutions that bring stability and security to the region,” he added.

According to Aldar Xelil, the Diplomatic Relations spokesperson for the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), Turkey’s attacks are nothing new.

“Since 2011, Turkey has established its policy and attitudes clearly toward [northern Syria] Rojava, saying they should prevent the experience of Bashur [the Kurdistan Region], or what they call North Iraq, to be repeated in north Syria,” he told Kurdistan 24 in an interview.

“Turkish leaders then said when Kurds in north Iraq started establishing their experience, it was Turkey’s fault because it did not intervene, and today there is a Kurdish region.”

Xelil said Turkish officials fear if they do not interfere in northern Syria, another Kurdish entity may be established.